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10 reasons to ride with Zwift this winter

The virtual riding platform opens up a whole new world for indoor training

December 1, 2017 | By Triathlon Magazine

Zwift makes indoor cycling fun. The social training app drops you into a digital world where you can ride alongside your friends, professionals like Lionel Sanders and riders from around the world. It gamifies your training experience giving you achievements to chase, gear to unlock and a world that puts your training metrics into perspective. Zwift provides users with power data, the sense of movement in a creative digital environment and allows you to ride with your friends year round. It helps keep you motivated to keep riding year round all for a monthly subscription of $18.99 a month.

Here are 10 reasons you must try Zwift this winter:

1) Train with power at a low cost

Buying a power meter can be expensive. With Zwift, you can train with power by simply using a speed sensor and selecting one of the classic trainers in the application’s library. Using the estimated trainer resistance, weight, speed and in game terrain, Zwift can provide you with an estimation of your power output so you can get the most out of your training. It’s called Zpower and while not a replacement for a power meter it’s a useful training tool that comes at no extra cost.

2) Make your time on the trainer way, way, way more engaging

Your pain cave will no longer be so lonely. While riding indoors can lack stimulus of the great outdoors, with just your sweat, your fan and the pain in your legs for company, the world of Zwift is full of other people riding. This virtual peloton will give you a much more rewarding indoor training experience motivating you to ride more this winter. If you’re doing an early season long distance race and have some 3+ hour rides coming up this winter, this tool will be your new best friend.

3) Unlock achievements and new places to ride

Zwift has three base maps everyone can ride: Watopia, Richmond, Va., and London. The course you ride depends on the app’s schedule. There’s also a volcano climb and Mayan jungle island that you can unlock by reaching Level 10. Not only will these new places refresh your experience, but the quest for these routes will motivate you to keep levelling up so you can get to where all the cool kids are riding.

4) Get new jerseys and bikes for free

Want new wheels, a fresh new look or a new bike? Unlocking these things are all possible on Zwift by doing challenges, using promo codes and more. If you want the Tron Bike that glows in the dark, ride 50,000 m after selecting the Everest challenge and voila, it’s yours to ride. You can pursue N+1 with digital bikes and not worry about storage. You can also ride in numerous different kits rocking a fresh set of threads without having to pull out your credit card.

5) Log more kilometres

Achievements, fitness goals and riding with your friends are all great ways to get motivated to ride more. All these features help to get you invested into your indoor training in a way you couldn’t just sitting unplugged on your trainer. Not only will you be reaching your fitness goals quicker than ever, you’ll be spending more time in the saddle getting fitter. Each achievement, each new kit and all the digital kilometres you are racking up will be good for your morale and keep you motivated to get back into the saddle. When it comes to pedalling and getting fitter, that certainly isn’t a bad thing.

6) Save money

Triathlon training costs add up quickly. While indoor cycling studios provide a great place to ride literally with people, Zwift is an affordable alternative. It’s $18.99 a month and you can use it whenever you want for however long you’d like. You can input your own workouts or use Zwift’s built in training programs. Then on your own schedule you can get riding. If you are worried about not being as motivated and not being accountable to a coach, Zwift will sync your rides into Strava and you’ll be doing it virtually alongside your friends who can holding you to the workouts you’ve committed too.

7) Ride with your friends all winter

Your long-weekend group rides don’t need to stop this winter. You can move them indoors onto one of the Zwift routes. You can chat with your friends while getting in the training that will have other riders in your club wondering how you got so fit for spring. Either using your computer keyboard or the Zwift Mobile Link App you can chat with fellow riders. Using this feature, you can send private messages to your friends or messages to everyone in a particular range during the ride.

8) Race whenever you want

With a nearly endless list of rides to join, you can compete all winter, whether to gauge your fitness or just for fun. Everyday there are hundreds of rides you can join. You’ll have no trouble finding a pack that challenges you. From structured workouts, easy social rides, and challenging fondos—there is a ride for you. Tuesday night worlds can go on even if there’s a snowstorm outside.

With realistic drafting dynamics, you can stay hidden in the pack or push the pace at the front for a bigger challenge. While you can get dropped in the digital world of Zwift, you don’t have to let that stop you from trying a ride that’s a little above your ability.

9) Ride with celebrities and people around the world

On Zwift you’ll find teams and pros from all over the world riding around just like you. When the weather is poor, there are an increasing number of WorldTour and top-flight pros who get on Zwift. Whether you bump into them just riding on a circuit or on a specific ride, it’s a fun way to train alongside the pros even if you can only hold their wheel for a split second. Other celebrities are also on Zwift and are indicated by a special badge.

10) Get fitter than ever before your early season goals

The entire reason for Zwift is to get you riding more. Living in Canada, you may have never thought it would be possible to put in so much quality training in the dead of winter. Zwift makes that not only possible, but enjoyable. A happy and motivated indoor-riding experience will see you hitting your early season goals with more training in your legs helping you to achieve your goals. There are no more excuses for having a slow spring.